Steve McIntosh Report Blog

Judging Thomas Etheredge

by Steve McIntosh,posted Aug 2 2013 1:28AM

There are people around here who can never forgive Thomas Etheredge. They gave him money, they bought passes to his theme park, they believed in him.
Etheredge was paroled from prison after serving three years of a five-year term for misleading people who invested in Wild West World theme park in Park City … which closed down within a few days. Investors said Etheredge never told them he had a criminal past, even though he had written a book about it.
I first saw him on stage with the Prairie Rose Wranglers. He is a gifted entertainer. I also interviewed Etheredge on the radio.
I found him to be truly charismatic, instantly likable … a powerful presence in any room. He was fun to be around.
When I heard he was rounding up investors for a proposed western theme park in Park City, I was wary. I’ve known people like him before. I can draw a pretty sharp line between an interesting acquaintance and a business partner.
Big talk is fun to listen to … but not always to be believed.
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